ART & CULTURE
MEET THE ARTIST:
LORI GIVENS
of Concert School of Music by Dennis McNabb
A
n unfortunate fact of life is that not many of us work in a field that we enjoy. An even smaller percentage have a career they truly love, and smaller still is the percentage of those who have a burning passion for what they do. You know those people; the ones we all admire and can’t help but envy because their “work” is not work to them. Lori Givens is one of those people. Her passion for music and for sharing her knowledge with students knows no bounds. It stems all the way back to Lori’s childhood. Most of her family was musical on some level, including her mother, who had played violin for some years. There was a recession and times were tough, so since they couldn’t afford for her to try out different instruments, Lori decided to dust off her mom’s old violin. She took to it fairly quickly (even though it was physically too big for her at the time) and proved to be a serious student. She begged for private lessons, knowing that it would take special training to achieve the level of mastery she aspired to, but again money was tight. Lori kept playing and learning what she could, and once the economy improved her wish was granted. During her lessons she was given the opportunity to try other instruments and found an immediate connection with the viola, saying that she “loved the chocolatey-warm sound of it!” Lori joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic, which just happened to be (and still is) one of the earliest and greatest youth orchestras in the country. Lori credits her experience with PYP for many of the skills she gained as a musician there. It was also pivotal in her acceptance to the Indiana 14 • WILSONVILLE LIVING MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020
University School of Music on a full scholarship - one of the best music and business schools in the country.
Nathan & Lori Givens
After graduating and spending some years playing professionally with orchestras throughout the country, Lori decided to merge her passion for music with her entrepreneurial spirit, and at the age of only 26 she purchased a small teaching studio called Music Man in Wilsonville. In the years since, Lori and her husband Nathan (also an accomplished musician), have transformed the humble school for private lessons into the multi-faceted entity it is today. Now it is called Concert School of Music and they employ more than 10 instructors who teach 15 instruments, as well as offering group classes, camps, and even a rock band program! They’ve also gone to the next level by adding a shop for violins and other string instruments, and have turned the studio into a “musical campus” of sorts. It is Lori and Nathan’s passion for music and their equally great love of teaching that truly sets them apart. Offering the best instruction at the most reasonable prices (and even some free virtual classes) the Givens family considers it their mission in life to help us all connect and communicate through music. No one has ever regretted learning to play an instrument, so if you’d like more information check out their website at www.concertschool.com.